Course Syllabus Professor



WRI 200 .

Intro to Creative Writing Professor: Juliet Davis

Course Syllabus

University of Tampa Juliet.davis@ut.edu

Office Hours: Office: CS Annex 120

Tues/Thurs 6:00-8:00 p.m. Mailbox #106-F

Wed 2:00-3:00 p.m. Cell: 727.418.8511 _________________________________________________________________

COURSE INTRODUCTION

In this course we will learn about the craft of writing through both practice and analysis of work in two major literary forms—poetry and short fiction.

 

REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS

Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft

by Janet Burroway and Elizabeth Stuckey-French

Longman, Seventh edition (2006)

RECOMMENDED FOR THOSE WHO NEED ADDITIONAL INSPIRATION

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg,

Shambhala Pocket Classics, Expanded edition (2006)

ALSO RECOMMENDED

λ Tampa Review:

COURSE MATERIALS & PREPARATIONS

λ Print syllabus, assignments, and handouts at >Course Info

λ :

(how to use): howtoturnitin.doc

Turnitin Class I.D.:  1967426

Class Enrollment Password: password1

OFFICE HOURS

If you would like to meet during office hours, please email me to arrange a time (julietdavis@tampabay.). You can also contact me by cell phone at 727-418-8511. Additional Notes: 1) I do not hold normal office hours during Thanksgiving week, Spring Break, and finals week. 2) Please review Email Etiquette at

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GRADING SCALE

100. A Outstanding

90-94 A/B Excellent

85-90 B Very Good

80-84 B/C Good

75-80 C Average

70-74 C/D Below Average

60-69 D Passing

0-59 F Failure

Coursework

EVALUATION

Project #1: Short Story 10%

Project #2: 3-5 Poems 10%

Project #3: Short Essay & Presentation 10%

Final Revision Portfolio 50%

Workshops, homework, quizzes 20%

PROJECTS & FINAL REVISION PORTFOLIO

The revision portfolio will be a compilation of projects #1, #2, and #3, which will be revised based on feedback received in workshops, from students and instructor. This portfolio should reflect the best of an entire semester’s efforts in writing. Students may optionally create new work if they choose to, in place of assignment revision.

1) Save the manuscripts I return to you. The original project with my comments must be placed in the BACK of the final revision portfolio.

2) In the revision work, students must indicate which passages have been changed, deleted, and/or added. You may do this by highlighting the passages and writing notes in the margins; using the tracking tool in MS Word; and/or writing a cover letter to the revision that explains changes.

3) In the revision portfolio, individual projects will be stapled together, and then all projects will be bound together with a BINDER CLIP (no paper clips, no folders, no plastic thingies with spines that fly off).

ESSAY & PRESENTATION

In a short essay (approximately 5 pages), analyze the fiction or poetry of one writer we have studied in class. How did the work affect you when you read it? What aspects of the work are responsible for that impact? Describe the writing techniques. Give examples. You will be graded on the basis of how thorough, clear, insightful, complex, and well supported the ideas are (by “complex,” we mean college-level ideas). Include an introduction, body, and conclusion. Standard essay criteria will be used (see general tips at essaychecklist.doc). Students will also present the main ideas to the class in an oral presentation (PowerPoint optional). Please do not read or refer to outside resources that directly comment on the works you are considering. Your ideas should be the only ones represented in the paper.

LENGTH OF POETRY & FICTION

You will see various lengths of poems and stories in the selected readings for the course. It is not the word count but the development of a piece that will be considered--and why its length is appropriate. In your work I will be grading development, not counting lines and pages.

The average length of a short story ranges 10-40 pages. Chances are, our time here will not permit many thirty-page stories. Students should note, though, that fully developing a story in four or six pages is demanding.

WORKSHOPS

All projects will be read and commented on by every student, and me, and discussed in class. This is a workshop. Early in the semester you will sign up to be in one of four groups: A, B, C, or D, and you will present your projects to the class according to the due date of your group in the schedule below, having made enough copies for everyone. Although the copies get a little pricey, they are necessary for the collaborative nature of the workshop course. Each group consists of four or three students. We will hold a workshop for the work of each group in the class meeting following the due date.

WORKSHOP EVALUATION

After we discuss each group’s projects, we will return members’ manuscripts with our margins and end comments (totaling at least one hundred words, please). At the end of the semester, each student will grade all other students on the quality of their comments throughout the semester, including a short justification for those grades. Evaluations will be graded for quality, effort. They will be considered in the participation grades.

QUIZZES

Quizzes (announced and/or unannounced) will be given on your reading and on the concepts learned in class. Quizzes can only be made up with evidence of illness or emergency.

Policies

1) Paper specifications are as follows: Individual projects must be stapled and typed in 12-point Times New Roman, double-spaced, with an indented first line of each paragraph. Those that do not meet these requirements will be returned unread. The final revision portfolio will be compiled by stapling individual projects and then pulling them all together with a binder clip and cover sheet template. No paper clips. Ever. (Thank you!)

2) All assignments must feature the following information:

student’s name

project title

assignment type (most important)

class

submission date

3) Late projects will be not be workshopped and will be docked 10 points per class meeting overdue. You are responsible for deadlines even if printers or other technologies are malfunctioning, so please do not wait for the day a project is due to print and copy it. In case of emergency, there is a Kinko’s on the corner of Tampa Street/Kennedy and Dale Mabry/Kennedy.

4) Active participation in class discussion and workshop contribute to 20% of the final grade (see “Workshops” above for respective requirements). Three class absences or the equivalent lack of in-class revising and critique will result in significant grade reduction (it is usually difficult to earn a C, for example, following three absences). Students are responsible for monitoring their own attendance and participation.

5) Your U.T. Email must be checked daily, and you are responsible for all information that is emailed to you. For convenience, you might want to have your U.T. mail forwarded automatically to another account (e.g., yahoo, aol or hotmail account). Contact the I.T. Help Desk at (813) 253-6293 or ext. 6293.

6) Plagiarism is not tolerated under any circumstances. I report all cases, intentional and unintentional, to the Dean of Students and reserve the right to assign whatever grade I see fit for the project or course (usually, it is a failing grade for the course). See the university policies about plagiarism in the student handbook.

7) . All work is to be uploaded to must have a receipt stapled on top of the hard copy that is submitted to me (a one-page receipt, please, rather than multiple pages). Please do not wait until the day an assignment is due to learn how to use this system (see howtoturnitin.doc for help). NOTE: To upload a project with multiple parts, you must copy and paste all text into one document ( only accepts one document per assignment).

SAUNDERS WRITING CENTER

If you have difficulty with basic writing skills, please see the Saunders writing center for free tutoring.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO REPORT GRADE BOOK DISCREPANCIES

Towards the end of finals week (usually Friday or Saturday), you will receive a message in your U.T. email account asking you to check your final grades in the grade book. At that time, it is your responsibility to review it and report any grade book errors before Sunday at 6:00 p.m. Final grades are submitted to the registrar Sunday night.

BACKING UP YOUR WORK

It is your responsibility to be able to provide a backup copy of your work in the event that a submission is lost. Make sure your files are saved in TWO places other than school grounds. These two locations might include a home hard drive and a jump drive or two hard drives (e.g., a C drive mirrored by a D drive). Having one storage space of your own is not enough because it can be lost or become damaged. Disks and drives are not magical immortal media—sooner or later, they all die horrible deaths.

SPECIAL NEEDS

If you are a student who has special needs because of any disability, please go to Ms. Linda Ashburn in the Office of Student Disability Services in PH 415 (x3302), to self-disclose and provide supporting documentation. Please feel free to discuss your disability with me in private.

ADVERSE CONDITIONS

In case of any adverse condition or situation which could interrupt the schedule of classes, each student is asked to access ut.edu for information about the status of the campus and class meetings.  In addition, please refer to ut. for announcements and other important information, and check your U.T. email for messages from your instructor. You are responsible for accessing this information.

WRI 200 REVISION PORTFOLIO

[COVER SHEET TEMPLATE]

Your Name: ___________________________________________

Fill out the information below:

|TITLES |NOTES |

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|Title of Short Story Here | |

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|Title of Poems Here | |

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|Title of Essay Here | |

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|θ Receipt is included (all new files uploaded in a single document) |

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|θ Original drafts with instructor comments are included in back. |

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|θ Explanations of changes are included. |

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|θ Binder clip is used (no paper clips, no folders, no plastic thingies) |

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|INSTRUCTOR NOTES |

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Schedule | The instructor reserves the right to change the schedule as needed.

Fiction readings are from Burroway. Poetry will be provided in handouts.

|WK |Date |Topics/Assignments |

| | | |

|1 | | |

| |M 8/27 |Class Introductions / Student Introductions |

| | |Literary Fiction vs. Genre Writing; Mainstream and Crossover Fiction |

| | | |

| | |Assignments for Next Class: |

| | |1) Print out Syllabus at > class info. |

| | |2) Download the “student info” sheet and type your answers. |

| | |3) Create a profile at and upload your “student info” sheet. Bring a receipt of your |

| | |upload with you to the next class (this is a dry run for the “real thing” down the road. |

| | |4) Read: Burroway Preface (xi-xiv only); Chapter 1 (pp. 1-18 only) |

| | | |

| |W 8/29 |Due: Syllabus Printouts, Receipt |

| | |Reading Due: Preface (xi-xiv only); Chapter 1 (pp. 1-18 only) |

| | |Lessons: How Workshops Work; The Writing Process |

| | |Quilt Announcements: Sept 21, Friday, 8:00 p.m. Music Room |

| | |Oct. 6, Saturday, 8:00 p.m. POETRY SLAM, Reeves Theater |

| | |Nov. 15,Thursday, 8:00 p.m. Reeves Theater |

| | | |

| | |Assignments for Next Class: |

| | |1) “Words to Avoid” Worksheet |

| | |2) Readings |

| | | |

|2 |M 9/3 |NO CLASS – LABOR DAY |

| | | |

| |W 9/5 |Assignment Due: Words to Avoid Worksheet |

| | |Readings Due: Chapter 2 (pp. 25-39) |

| | |John Cheever: “The Swimmer” (231) |

| | |Lesson: Seeing is Believing, Descriptive Writing, Narration |

| | |Symbolism, Metaphor, Theme |

| | |Language (see “Words to Avoid”) |

| | |Introduce: Descriptive Paragraph |

| | | |

| | |Assignments for Next Class: |

| | |Descriptive Paragraph: Write a description of a place of significance in your life, past or present. Make |

| | |sure that the significance of the place becomes clear by the end of the paragraph. Do not upload to |

| | |. |

| | | |

|3 |M 9/10 |NO CLASS – I have to review a museum exhibition. |

| | | |

| |W 9/12 |Writing Due: Descriptive Paragraph (share some) |

| | |Readings Due: Chapter 3 (pp. 80-98) |

| | |Flannery O’Connor: “Everything That Rises Must Converge” |

| | |Lessons: Plot Structure, Conflict, Point of View, Characterization, Theme |

| | | |

| | |Assignment for Next Class: |

| | |Write a short scene in which two characters come together and experience conflict. Include select |

| | |character description and dialogue. Show, don’t tell. Do not upload to . |

| | | |

|4 |M 9/17 |Writing Due: Character Conflict scene (share some) |

| | |Reading Due: Chapter 4 (pp. 137-153) |

| | |William Carlos Williams: “The Use of Force” (277) |

| | |Raymond Carver: “A Serious Talk” (253) |

| | |Lessons: Dialogue, Character Complexity and Purpose |

| | | |

| | |Assignment for Next Class: |

| | |Write an introductory paragraph to a story. |

| | | |

| |W 9/19 |Writing Due: Introductory Paragraph (share some) |

| | |Readings Due: |

| | |Gish Jen: “Who’s Irish” (315) |

| | |Edward P. Jones: “The First Day” (347) |

| | |First 2 paragraphs of “Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter” (239) by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni |

| | |Lessons: Point of View, Character, Narration |

| | |Be ready to share your short story ideas with the class. |

| | | |

|5 |M 9/24 |Project #1 Due: Group A |

| | |(remember to upload all projects into ) |

| | |Readings Due: Margaret Atwood: “Happy Endings” (279) |

| | |Joyce Carol Oates: “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” (65) |

| | |Dan Chaon: “Big Me” (39) |

| | |Storytelling Techniques |

| | |Share Short Story Ideas |

| | |Reminder to Groups of Due Dates |

| | | |

| |W 9/26 |Project #1 Due: Group B |

| | |Workshop: Group A |

| | | |

|6 |M 10/1 |Project #1 Due: Group C |

| | |Workshop: Group B |

| | |Reminder: Quilt POETRY SLAM, Sat. October 6, 8:00 p.m. Reeves |

| |W 10/3 |Project #1 Due: Group D |

| | |Workshop: Group C |

| | |Reminder: Attend Quilt POETRY SLAM, Sat. October 6, 8:00 p.m. Reeves |

| | | |

|7 |M 10/8 |NO CLASS – CONFERENCE |

| | | |

| |W 10/10 |Workshop: Group D |

| | | |

| | |Readings Due: Poetry |

| | |Bly: “Snowbanks North of the House” (49, metaphor) |

| | |“The Yellow Dot” (54, metaphysical) |

| | |“The Russian” (54, character / theme) |

| | |Dickey: “Adultery” (102, situational) |

| | |Dunn: “The Routine Things Around the House” (123, memory) |

| | | |

| | |Introduction to Writing Poetry |

| | |Obsession . . . and Other Techniques for Starting |

| | |Poetry Do’s and Don’t’s |

| | |Abstraction Exercise |

|8 |M 10/15 |Readings Due: Poetry |

| | |Levertov: “Wedding-Ring” (303, change) |

| | |“Life at War” (304, current events) |

| | |Rich: “Diving Into the Wreck” (415, uncanny) |

| | |Kinnell: “After Making Love We Hear Footsteps” (247, uncanny) |

| | |“The Bear” (248, metaphysical) |

| | |Goldberg’s Exercises |

| |W 10/17 |Writing Due: Abstraction Exercise, Poem |

| | |Readings Due: Poetry |

| | |Levine: “What Work Is” (311, class / rethinking words and concepts) |

| | |Lee: “Persimmons” (292, ethnicity / rethinking words and concepts) |

| | |Dove: “Wingfoot Lake (114, ethnicity / rethinking words and concepts) |

|9 |M 10/22 |FIELD TRIP: BLUEBERRY PATCH |

| |W 10/24 |Project #2 Due: Group B |

| | |Introduction to Project #3 |

| | |Collins: “Litany” (81, satirical) |

| | |“Osso Buco” (83, perspective) |

| | |“Man in Space” (85, perspective) |

|10 |M 10/29 |Project #2 Due: Group C |

| | |Workshop: Project #2, Group B |

| | |Ideas due for Project #3 (Share with group) |

| | | |

| |W 10/31 |Project #2 Due: Group D |

| | |Workshop: Project #2, Group C |

| | | |

|11 |M 11/5 |LAST DAY FOR STUDENTS TO W/DRAW FROM CLASSES |

| | |Workshop: Project #2, Group D |

| | | |

| |W 11/7 |Individual Student Consultations in My Office |

| | |Bring your revision work to date and ideas for your essay/presentation. |

|12 |M 11/12 |Individual Student Consultations in My Office |

| | |Bring your revision work to date and ideas for your essay/presentation. |

| |W 11/14 |Workshop TBA |

|13 |M 11/19 |Workshop TBA |

| |W 11/21 |NO CLASS – THANKSGIVING BREAK |

|14 |M 11/26 |Project #3 Essay and Presentation Due: Group A |

| |W 11/28 |Project #3 Essay and Presentation Due: Group B |

|15 |M 12/3 |Project #3 Essay and Presentation Due: Group C |

| |W 12/5 |Peer Evaluations Due; Class Evaluations |

| | |Project #3 Essay and Presentation Due: Group D |

|16 |M 12/12 |Revision Portfolio Due at my office before or at 6:00 (CAS Annex 210) |

Fiction Do’s and Don’t’s

(Things to Remember During Drafting)

|Do |Don’t Use |

| | |

|DO |DON’T USE |

| | |

|Show, don’t tell |exposition |

|Craft fresh imagery and concrete language |clichés |

|Feature vivid verbs |abstraction |

|Employ specific language |bland verbs |

|Use every word as if it were a sacred jewel |vague/general language |

|Vary your sentence structure |“flabby” writing |

|Include sensory description and metaphor |redundancy (words / sentence structure) |

|Use appropriate metaphors |unnecessary intensifiers |

|Expand your vocabulary |hyperbole |

|Make dialogue sound natural (based on character) |overblown language |

|Rely on action, dialogue and sensory description |unnecessary –ly adverbs |

| |there are/it is redundantly |

| |passive voice excessively |

| |personification of animals or objects |

| |use archaic language |

|Remember plot structure |wandering plotlines |

|(conflict, complication, climax, resolution) |stories without theme |

|Develop theme |material that has no conflict |

|Develop credible, multi-dimensional characters |character stereotypes |

|Be thought-provoking |anything you’ve heard before |

|Keep point of view consistent (usually) |material you are too close to |

|Keep tense consistent (usually) |anything that’s boring or unnecessary |

|Make sure everything advances story/theme/character | |

Language Worksheet

In each sentence below, identify the weakness(es) and rewrite the sentence.

1) There was a plant on the window sill.

2) Her eyes were like saucers.

3) She got really angry at him.

4) He was a person with a lot of integrity.

5) They loved each other with all their heart and soul.

6) The dog whined faintly.

7) The river raged with the force of all our gods and forefathers.

8) Susan was selected by Mr. Dodd to be head waitress.

9) Santiago went to the store.

10) Mel did the dishes.

11) Jamie put the car in the garage.

12) The book was great.

13) The pianist played well.

14) Sam believed that community organizations could change people’s lives by benefiting them.

15) Heather used to talk a lot and get excited about things.

Rewrite and combine two of the sentences above and begin with construction other than subject-verb.

Poetry Do’s and Don’t’s

DO

1) Show and don’t tell.

2) Use specific, concrete language.

3) Create collages of imagery.

4) Help us see the world in a way we’ve never seen it before.

5) Use metaphors.

6) Use every word as if it were a scarce jewel.

7) Thump us in the head with a new perspective.

8) Use your most meaningful experiences.

9) Think about people, places, things, and events that are meaningful to you.

DON’T

1) Don’t rhyme (it’s contrived).

2) Don’t use cliché’s

3) Don’t use abstraction.

4) Don’t personify pets (leave Fluffy’s great adventures for kids).

5) Don’t personify inanimate objects (teddy bears, shoes, your car, etc.)

6) Don’t use archaic language (“Oh how I love thee”)

7) Don’t use overblown language (your thumbnail is not a slivery moon-shaped crest—it’s just a thumbnail).

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